The pirate statue at the foot of Front Street has a name now. The City's Youth Advisory Committee revealed it at the Amelia River Waterfront Park grand opening on Saturday, April 11, 2026. That day also brought a new play structure, bought with a T-Mobile hometown grant, and live music from the Honey Badgers. Local artist Jett Paxton made the statue. Eight months after the opening, the park will take on a holiday job it has never had before.
The 12th annual Dickens on Centre runs Friday through Sunday, December 11 to 13. On Thursday, December 10, the evening before the festival opens, the river park hosts a new free kickoff. During the festival, the adults-only evening moves to a new venue on North 2nd Street, the snow globes go up on South 2nd, and the fun run starts at Main Beach. From Thursday night to Sunday afternoon, the holiday celebration covers downtown from the river to the ocean.
The new park gets the night before
Visit Amelia Island lists Tidings & Twinkle as a new event and calls it a "new holiday tradition." It runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 10, at Amelia River Waterfront Park on Front Street. The event listing promises storytelling, live music, performances, a community marketplace and seasonal food. The stated goals are to gather people around holiday traditions and to support local businesses and community arts organizations. It's free and open to everyone.
Two details make the evening more than a warm-up. First, it's where you pick up a paper lantern or glow wand. Second, it's where you can grab your Dickens on Centre program before the weekend starts. If you like to plan which stages and vendors you'll visit, Thursday at the river is the time to do it, before Centre Street fills up on Friday.
A free trolley runs from Central Park from 5 to 7:30 p.m. That's half an hour past the event's scheduled end, so there's time to walk back up from the water.
Then the festival splits along 2nd Street
From Friday on, the familiar Christmas market runs on Centre Street, with Tiny Tim's Kids Zone, portraits with St. Nick, costumed characters and the vendor rows. The ticketed events that tend to sell out are set back from the main street on either side, along 2nd Street.
| Where | What | When | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| South 2nd Street | Enchanted Village | All weekend | Ten themed Christmas snow globes, 75 minutes each, with Le Marché. $300 for a party of four, $75 per added guest for up to two more |
| North 2nd Street, The Pavilion | Dickens After Dark: Marley's Masquerade | Sat., Dec. 12, 6 to 9 p.m. | 21 and over, Victorian costume required, with Mama Blue and Kristen Sparrow Circus |
| Centre & 4th Streets | Parade of Paws | Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m. step-off | With the Nassau Humane Society |
| Main Beach, Sandbar Amelia Island | Run Like the Dickens | Sat., Dec. 12, 8:30 a.m. | One-mile fun run, check-in from 7:30 a.m. |
The Masquerade is the biggest change. The official festival page says Marley's Masquerade is "held in its grand new home at The Pavilion on North 2nd Street," with stilt walkers, jugglers, live music and dancing. Jacksonville International Airport is the presenting partner. The Visit Amelia Island preview mentions a tarot reader too, and says masks are optional. Costumes are not optional.
The Enchanted Village serves food along with the snow globes. Le Marché's menu includes the Winter Conservatory Tea Service, the Grand Merchant's Charcuterie Collection and the Alpine Hearth Fondue Experience, each paired with a drink, and confection and wine upgrades are available. The Visit Amelia Island preview says of booking, "Tickets go fast!"
Fezziwig's Courtyard is labeled "reimagined" this year. It's now run with Art Culinarian and gives you an hour at a reserved table with seasonal food and a holiday drink, while live music plays around you. Reservations go through the Fezziwig's Courtyard ticket page.
The beach gets Saturday morning
Run Like the Dickens is a one-mile fun run along Main Beach. Check-in and on-site registration open at 7:30 a.m. at Sandbar Amelia Island, 21910 Atlantic Ave., and the race starts at 8:30 a.m. after a warm-up. Every finisher gets a medal, and there's an awards ceremony and free photos with Santa. Partners include Sandbar Amelia, the YMCA, Coastal Vision Center and Salty Sports Society. Costumes are encouraged, and well-behaved dogs are welcome. Registration is on the Run Like the Dickens race page.
A dog can have a long Saturday. Ninety minutes after the run starts on the beach, the Parade of Paws steps off downtown at 10 a.m. from Centre and 4th Streets. Prizes go to Best Victorian, Most Original, Looks Most Like Owner and the Top Three Overall.
Moving between the pieces
With the festival spread across downtown, getting from one part to the next takes some planning. The official festival page warns that downtown parking is very limited and that many lots are closed to the public. Free parking and trolleys are at Central Park on 11th Street. If you live on the island, you probably know the drive to Central Park. If you're coming from the mainland, Central Park is where to aim instead of Centre Street.
Here are the 2026 hours, from the official Dickens on Centre page:
- Friday, December 11: market 4 to 9 p.m., trolleys 4 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, December 12: market 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., trolleys 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, December 13: market 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., trolleys 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Saturday, the trolleys start half an hour before the market opens and keep running an hour after it closes. That extra time helps if you have a 6 p.m. Masquerade ticket at The Pavilion or a late snow globe slot on South 2nd Street.
The festival page says St. Nick portrait times and reservations, run with Boston Photography, will be posted closer to the festival. The 2026 vendor list is already up, and the page describes it as returning favorites plus new vendors.
Dickens comes near the end of the downtown holidays
The river kickoff fits a holiday stretch downtown that starts before Thanksgiving. Visit Amelia Island's holiday calendar lists these dates for 2026:
- November 25: The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island tree lighting. The 40-foot tree is lit, Santa arrives by Christmas train, and there are fireworks. Guests 10 and older need a $20 charity ticket.
- November 27: The Black Friday PJ Party Downtown and the City of Fernandina Beach tree lighting. The Omni Turkey Trot 5K and the Holiday Lights Celebration at The Shops at Omni Amelia Island are the same day.
- December 4 and 5: The Holiday Home Tour, with tickets through the Amelia Island Museum of History.
- December 5: The Lighted Christmas Parade on Centre and Ash Streets.
- December 8: The annual Menorah lighting downtown at 5 p.m., with latkes, Chanukah doughnuts and chocolate gelt.
- December 10: Tidings & Twinkle at Amelia River Waterfront Park.
- December 11 to 13: Dickens on Centre.
- December 16: The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival's Sounds of the Season concert with Nicole Zuraitis under the Ritz-Carlton's tree.
Downtown's holiday lights stay up from November 2026 into January 2027, so the blocks around the river park stay lit long after the Dickens vendors leave. Many of those same blocks were part of daily errands during the long wait for the Publix to reopen, as we covered in our look at how Fernandina's grocery routine changed. Holiday weekends make them busy in a different way.
The river park keeps changing
The waterfront park is the newest venue on the 2026 holiday calendar, and more work is planned around it. The City of Fernandina Beach scheduled an information session for Thursday, November 5, on building the southern part of the seawall, "starting just south of the Amelia River Waterfront Park." A grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection pays for the project. Updates are posted on the City's calendar listing for the session.
For now, the park's first big holiday night falls on a Thursday in December: free, two hours long, with lanterns, programs and a trolley back to Central Park.
If downtown at Christmas is part of why you love Fernandina Beach, I'm glad to talk about the blocks close to it, including those near the river park and the stretch of 2nd Street the festival now uses. Find me on the waterfront Thursday night, or reach out through Lily Bostick and see more about living near downtown Fernandina Beach. Let's Connect.
